This invention relates to a window for vehicles such as school buses, and in particular, relates to a window which can be fully opened to serve as an emergency exit from such vehicles.
Vehicles for mass transportation are required by law to have emergency exits. For example, school buses frequently have rear exit doors from which passengers may exit in case of emergency. Other buses have windows which are mounted to a window sash which has hinges at the top so that in case of emergency the entire window sash can be swung outward to allow egress. Some buses are equipped with roof hatches which serve as emergency exits.
These examples of emergency exits clearly require specially designed hardware and other components, and therefore, are very expensive. Furthermore, specialized emergency exit facilities, such as those described above, may become damaged during an accident rendering them non-functional, in which case the availability of emergency exits can be dangerously reduced.
A further disadvantage of window sashes and hatches which are hinged is that they tend to swing closed and thereby hinder passage through the openings they provide.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a window which can operate both as a means for ventilation, and as an emergency exit.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an emergency exit window which provides unobstructed egress from a vehicle.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a window for school buses having emergency exit capability which can be used throughout the school bus, thereby substantially increasing the number of emergency exits.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an emergency exit window which can be easily moved to the fully open position.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an emergency exit window which can be quickly moved to the fully open position from any other position, i.e. fully closed or partially open.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved with an emergency exit window which has two bolt type spring-loaded latches carried by the upper part of a window pane. The bolt type latches engage ratchets or stops which are part of the window frame surrounding the pane. The latches may normally be operated by hand in such a way that a user can insert his or her fingers into recesses formed in the latches and move the latches laterally towards each other to disengage the latches from various stops. The window normally moves between a fully closed position and a half-open (fully venting) position. However, an emergency handle located at the center of the top portion of the window pane can be used to move the latches such that the window can assume a fully opened position. The emergency exit handle is used to apply tension to a cable which is connected to the latches. Rotation of the emergency handle causes the latches to move an amount which is greater than the amount of movement able to be achieved when the latches are manipulated individually by hand. When the window is in the fully open position, the latches engage reverse stops which prevent the window from inadvertently closing in the event the bus is overturned.
The objects and advantages of the invention will be better understood upon a reading of the following specification read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.